Redeemer Baptist School faces inquiry over abuse and financial claims

A New South Wales parliamentary inquiry into Redeemer Baptist School and its associated church has heard harrowing allegations of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Witnesses described extreme acts of humiliation, including one former member testifying that her sister was forced into a dog collar and pulled by a lead. Other testimonies detailed corporal punishment, students being held underwater, and the alleged abuse of an Indigenous boy.

The inquiry is also investigating significant financial irregularities. Experts and accountants have raised concerns regarding the school’s management of approximately $58 million in government grants and its $140 million property portfolio. Allegations include a “scheme of arrangement designed to avoid taxation,” noting that while the school receives substantial funding, it operates on a volunteer model where teachers receive minimal stipends without employment entitlements or superannuation.